A PhD thesis is being undertaken in Marseilles and Montpellier (France) by Séverine FAUQUETTE to quantify the Pliocene climate in West Europe and in the whole Mediterranean region.
As evidenced by Dowsett et al. (Science, 258, p. 1133-1135, 1992), the supervisors of the thesis (Dr. Joël GUIOT, Marseilles - Dr. Jean-Pierre SUC, Montpellier) consider that it is very important to estimate Pliocene climates, the warming-up which occurred at 3.1 - 3.0 Ma being a good past analogue for the extension of the greenhouse effect.
The West Europe and Mediterranean region is very rich in well-dated, detailed Pliocene pollen analyses. Unfortunately, unlike East Asia, West and East North America, the Mediterranean region is devoid of any living plant representative of tropical-subtropical environments. As a consequence, we urgently need modern surface samples (10 cc; from lakes, coastal marine sediments, or mosses) from East China, Japan, North Viet- Nam, East and West North America, and the Red, Caspian, and Black Seas. Their pollen analysis will be used for reference to better understand the climate response of significant taxa. Existing pollen-analytical data are also welcome. In any case, we need to know the latitude, longitude and altitude of each sampled locality.
Samples (or pollen spectra) should be sent to:
Dr. Jean-Pierre SUC
Laboratoire de Palynologie (case 061)
Université Montpellier II
F-34095 Montpellier cedex 5 (France)
Tel. (33).67.14.32.69
Fax. (33).67.04.20.32
Any help will be greatly appreciated. If you have some difficulty mailing samples, please contact J.-P. SUC. You will be informed how you can use the dispatch-box of the French Embassy in your country. Many thanks.